Sustainable BC Committee

City of Battle Creek Environmental Policy Study Committee 10 N. Division St. Conference Room 302A Battle Creek, MI Tuesday, October 27, 2010 4:00 p.m. Members Present: Susan Anderson, Kathy Antaya, Randall Champlin, Tiffany Eichorst, Ken Kohs, Commissioner William Morris, Vice Mayor Christopher Simmons and Commissioner David Walters. Absent: Mary Lindow, Michael Myszka, Taichi Ochi and Christine Kosmowski. Others: Dawn Hammond, Battle Creek Emergency Services Coordinator Mike McKenzie Call to Order: Vice Mayor Simmons called the meeting to order at 4:00 P.M. Public Comment: None. Approval of Minutes: Vice Mayor Simmons asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of June 15, 2010. There being none, a motion was made by Randall Champlin, supported by Kathy Antaya to approve the minutes of the June 15, 2010, Environmental Committee meeting. All yes. Motion carried. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda: Vice Mayor Simmons asked for any corrections or deletions to the agenda. He said he had received a resignation from member Mary Lindow. There were none. New Business: 1. Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Update Vice Mayor Simmons introduced Battle Creek Emergency Services Coordinator Mike Mckenzie. Officer Mckenzie presented a thorough overview of the spill that leaked over a million gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River. He included photos and statistics in a very informative power point. He also gave an update on where the clean-up efforts are at this time and what has been going on since the state of emergency was declared on July 26, 2010. 1 There was a lot of wildlife affected by the spill and rescue efforts were slow at the start due to jurisdictional clarification but through PA390 the local authority was granted and action was taken. There were approximately 100 volunteer hours documented and 84 water fowl and 6 mammals recovered. Officer Mckenzie stated that he has voluminous documentation if any Committee members were interested in further information. Enbridge has scheduled a community meeting for November 8, 2010 7:00 p.m. at Burnham Brook. 2. Committee Direction/Goals Vice Mayor Simmons stated that members of this committee have expressed a desire for better defined direction and goals. The most important role that the committee plays is to make policy recommendations to the Battle Creek City Commission for consideration. There seems to be a desire that the committee take a more proactive role in making policy recommendations rather than just reviewing what is in place. He recommended that the committee create subcommittees to accomplish this suggesting that the first should be a “goal” subcommittee. 3. Establishment of Subcommittees Ms. Antaya stated the she volunteered herself and two other committee members, Sue Anderson and Mike Myszka to form a subcommittee for the purpose of defining goals for the committee to consider. In addition to defining more specific goals the subcommittees could also potentially aide City staff in various ways and example being the environmental survey/ordinance research project that the committee has discussed. Mr. Kohs added that the committee and whatever subcommittees are created need to make sure they remain within the limitations of authority that the City has. Old Business: 1. Downtown Streetscape Update Vice Mayor Simmons stated there had been an expression of concern at the last meeting regarding the disposal of materials in conjunction with this project. Commissioner Morris stated the lights will be reused within the city. The disposal of concrete is not an environmental concern. 2. Environmental Survey/Ordinance Research Vice Mayor Simons spoke briefly with the City Manager regarding this, however nothing was decided. 2 Mr. Kohns stated while he feels it would be valuable to move forward with the research of other community policies he has not had the time to research any further and had nothing to add from the last meeting. Vice Mayor Simmons stated he would keep it on the agenda and would look into the possibility of surveying City Staff. Ms. Anderson concurred that is a very good idea. Ms. Antaya stated that this project was the reason of the subcommittee discussion was initiated. Commissioner Walters stated there was a recent article regarding a new initiative that the City of Detroit just started with its Code Compliance and the Police Department. Vice Mayor Simmons asked Commissioner Walters to share the article with the committee. Vice Mayor Simmons mentioned the Wellhead Protection Program and stated he would like to put it on next month’s agenda to get an update. Mr. Kohs stated that the Wellhead Protection Committee has recommended presenting the plan to the Battle Creek Planning Commission then on to the Battle Creek City Commission. Public Comment: None. Member Comments/Announcements: Commissioner Morris apologized for being late he date a conflicting meeting. Commissioner Walters thanked the Committed for offering him the opportunity to serve on it. Vice Mayor Simmons stated that all Non-commission and city staff appointed members need to reapply for their appointments. Next meeting: Meeting every other month seems to work. The committee can always call a special meeting if something pressing comes up. The Committee discussed several options for its meeting schedule and concluded that it would meet Wednesday December 1, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. in 302A and set its annual schedule at that meeting. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 5:20 p.m. DMH 3